How can you manage virtual meetings with team members who have poor connectivity?

Yes, exactly choosing the right tool is a very helpful way to negate this problem. Otherwise it becomes a perennial problem.

Choosing the ideal virtual meeting tool is pivotal for project success. Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams offer diverse features, demanding nuanced consideration. Beyond functionality, factors like cost, security, compatibility, and ease of use are critical. However, a distinctive perspective emerges when viewing these tools not just as communication facilitators but as integral components shaping the project's digital culture. The chosen tool becomes a reflection of the team's approach to collaboration—whether prioritizing innovation, security, or seamless integration. This decision extends beyond a technical one; it's a strategic choice that molds how the team interacts and thrives in the digital landscape.

Poor connection is a recurring problem for colleagues in the Global South. Urban areas might have relatively better connectivity than rural areas even though still weak for virtual meetings. Experience will guide you on which platform is best for a poor internet connection. From my lived experience, I would prefer Google Meet or Microsoft Teams for official meetings. WhatsApp can be used for informal meetings related to work where presentations or sharing of screens is not needed. These platforms are less data-consuming than the others from my experience working in places with limited connectivity.

Yes, the participants can be asked if the voice is audible. Same can be done while sharing the screen.This will help to determine the connection workability.

Technology and electronic gadgets are quite unpredictable. Connection can be tested before the virtual meeting, however, bandwidth can drop at any moment during the call. It is advisable to run a demo with colleagues before the call and encourage them to find spots in their locality where bandwidth is strongest. This can be done by moving around while the presenter or host speaks or tries to present a document or slide. Most of the time, the best connections are in open-air places, by the window, on the highest floor of a building or if on the field a natural elevation such as a rock outcrop, hill or mountain. This helps determine the kind of activities that can be carried out during the call, for instance, video call vs audio call.

setting and communicating clear expectations for the call before it starts can help in several ways. Participants can know what to do and when each person is coming in to carry out tasks during the call. As such, if connectivity is poor for a participant, such a person can target their presentation time to be involved without being a nuisance. Furthermore, ground rules like outing your microphones and putting cameras off during the call can help make the call more inclusive for participants with limited connectivity.

In the past, I have had to combine a WhatsApp call with a Google Meet or Microsoft Teams meeting to ensure that WhatsApp connected participants to a virtual meeting which they could not join due to limited connectivity. Such fellows were able to follow the meeting using WhatsApp as an audio source to listen and speak throughout. The bulk of participants followed through with video and presentation on the other Google Meet in some instances or MS Teams in other instances. The document discussed was shared beforehand via mail to all participants to ensure everyone followed irrespective of the platform used to join the virtual meeting.

No matter how interesting and insightful a meeting was, if there were no time-defined next steps agreed on, it was a waste of time. As such an immediate meeting debrief is always advised after every meeting to realign on the next steps and plan on how to implement such within the stipulated timelines and responsible entities. Debriefs are also important to harvest lessons learnt both from the technical discussions held during the call as well as the delivery of the call itself. Succinct meeting notes should be shared with all participants as soon as feasibly possible with a request for feedback and comments in case any points were missing or agreements misrepresented.

Selecting the appropriate virtual meeting tool is essential, but occasional internet connectivity issues may still occur. To address this, encourage participants to check their internet connection before the meeting. Additionally, consider recording the meeting for future reference, allowing team members with connectivity problems to catch up later. Providing a post-meeting summary or follow-up email summarizing key discussions and action items ensures that everyone remains informed, even if they experienced connectivity issues during the meeting. Leverage asynchronous collaboration tools like project management platforms, shared documents, or communication channels where team members can contribute and catch up on discussions.

Some important points to keep in mind when planning a virtual meeting, especially when one has faced poor connectivity issues; 1) Plan and share schedule in advance, so that participants have enough time to make themselves available and take the call from a better reception area. 2) Choose a platform which performs equally well with mobile devices like tabs, smartphones etc